Tag Archives: Marketing

Flexibility

“Predictions are difficult – especially about the future.” This quote from Yogi Berra sums up the challenges we all face in today’s dynamic and fast-changing world. None of us has a crystal ball that allows us to predict the future … Continue reading

Posted in Business Acumen, Growth and Strategy, Perform / Execution | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Don’t Believe the Hype

“The world is changing faster than ever before.” “We need to adapt to the change or we will get run over by it.” “The paradigm has shifted and the world will never be the same.” “Robotics and AI (Artificial Intelligence) will … Continue reading

Posted in Business Acumen, Perform / Execution, Personal Success | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Experiment… A Little

To move our companies forward, we need to experiment.  We need to try out new products, new sales/ marketing strategies, new processes, and new leadership styles.  We cannot be certain if all of these will work.  But, to not experiment … Continue reading

Posted in Growth and Strategy, Improve / Turnaround, Sales and Marketing | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Do’s and Don’ts of Public Speaking

The ability to speak well in public – whether giving a sales pitch to a customer, presenting at a Board Meeting, or speaking to a large group of employees – is an essential leadership skill. Public speaking is fundamental for … Continue reading

Posted in Communication, Leadership, Personal Success | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The 5 Fundamentals of an Innovative Company

The world and the customer are changing rapidly.   To keep up with these changes and to truly differentiate themselves in the marketplace, companies need to innovate. Yet, too many companies still rely on small updates, upgrades, or makeovers of their … Continue reading

Posted in Growth and Strategy, Leadership, Team / People | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Complaint is a Gift

In their book, A Complaint is a Gift: Recovering Customer Loyalty When Things Go Wrong, authors Janelle Barlow and Claus Moller discuss the inadequacies of customer service and the customer service departments at most companies. The book begins with a … Continue reading

Posted in Improve / Turnaround, Perform / Execution, Sales and Marketing | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

World Class Selling

The book, World Class Selling, by Roy Chitwood (founder of the Track Selling sales process) is an effective and insightful sales book. It is well worth reading for both new and experienced salespeople alike. Below I have summarized the key … Continue reading

Posted in Growth and Strategy, Perform / Execution, Sales and Marketing | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What Does a Buyer Want?

I recently interviewed a professional buyer at a customer company who was looking to move into a sales role for our company. I asked how she would use her current experience as a buyer to be a better salesperson. Her … Continue reading

Posted in Business Acumen, Growth and Strategy, Sales and Marketing | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Don’t Upsell…Right Sell

“Would you like to supersize your order?” As I wrote previously (“Do You Want Fries With That?” – An Opportunity for Profitable Growth), upselling can bring additional value to our customers, create additional sales and profits, and cement our relationships … Continue reading

Posted in Business Acumen, Growth and Strategy, Sales and Marketing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Coaching and Developing Great Salespeople

Wanted: Great Salespeople! All of us are looking for great salespeople to close business, grow revenue, and help drive our companies to success. What are some of the qualities of great salespeople? Professional and personable Responsive and lives up to … Continue reading

Posted in Growth and Strategy, Sales and Marketing, Team / People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

5 Steps to Improving Customer Service

Excellent customer service is a fundamental for success in our businesses. Unfortunately, it is all too often lacking. So, how can we improve customer service in our companies? Hire and Develop Employees that Actually Like People: Customer service starts and … Continue reading

Posted in Growth and Strategy, Improve / Turnaround, Perform / Execution, Sales and Marketing | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Prepare Questions…Not Presentations

The sales meeting begins. The salesperson starts talking through a PowerPoint presentation slide deck (which took him several hours to complete) telling the customer how great the salesperson’s company and products are. 30 minutes later the presentation is complete. And … Continue reading

Posted in Growth and Strategy, Perform / Execution, Sales and Marketing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ten Ways to Grow Sales Now

Despite the improving unemployment rate and positive economic indicators, many B2B companies are stuck in slow and no growth modes. How can these companies re-kindle growth and increase sales?

Posted in Growth and Strategy, Improve / Turnaround, Sales and Marketing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Simple: Conquering the Crisis of Complexity

Simple: Conquering the Crisis of Complexity, written by Alan Siegel and Irene Etzkorn, is an excellent reminder to all of us to rail against complexity and keep things simple. Even though I summarize some of the key points below, I … Continue reading

Posted in Communication, Perform / Execution, Personal Success | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

To Sell More, Sell Less

Today’s customer is overwhelmed with too much information and not enough time and attention span to digest it all. As such, the best salespeople have evolved and simplified their sales approach to be more responsive to over-burdened and over-saturated customers. … Continue reading

Posted in Communication, Perform / Execution, Sales and Marketing | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

We’ve Gotten the Sale…Now What?

The customer has said yes. He or she will buy our product and service. Now what do we do? 1.  Shut Up and Get Out As Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire Mayor of New York City, puts it so well: First, … Continue reading

Posted in Perform / Execution, Sales and Marketing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Social Media for the B2B Executive

Social media – Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, blogs, etc. – usually revolves around business to consumer (B2C) efforts. In it, companies are trying to reach many possible customers through their social media effort. For business to business (B2B) companies, the situation … Continue reading

Posted in Communication, Growth and Strategy, Sales and Marketing | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Sales and Marketing in a Time and Attention Starved World

In today’s over-saturated world of twenty four hour media, advertisement, and promotion, we are drowning in too much data and too many messages. Our brains are full, and our attention span is depleted. Paradoxically, despite this flood of information, we … Continue reading

Posted in Growth and Strategy, Sales and Marketing | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Lessons from a Customer

Over the last month, my family and I have moved from Chandler, Arizona to Newport Beach, California. We sold our house in Chandler, moved ourselves and our belongings, and bought a house in Newport Beach. As so many of you … Continue reading

Posted in Growth and Strategy, Perform / Execution, Sales and Marketing | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

“Do You Want Fries With That?” – An Opportunity for Profitable Growth

McDonald’s employees are trained to ask all customers whether they want fries with their meal. This little question, repeated millions of times a day in thousands of McDonald’s restaurants worldwide, creates millions of dollars of profits for McDonald’s as millions … Continue reading

Posted in Growth and Strategy, Sales and Marketing | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments